Physicochemical parameters and antioxidant activity of summer savory essential oil (Satureja hortensis L.)

Abstract

Summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.), Lamiaceae family, was used in folk medicine and food industry, and the resulting essential oil was used to flavor various food products, as well as a biologically active substance in cosmetics. The aim of the present work was the determination of the physicochemical parameters surfase tension and density of summer savory essential oil, obtained by steam distillation under industrial conditions, at four different temperatures 10, 20, 30 and 40°C. The temperature dependence of the two physicochemical parameters shows that the values for density were in the range of 0.921 g/cm3 at 10°C to 0.898 g/cm3 at 40°C, and for surface tension from 31.68 mN/m at 10°C to 27.51 mN/m at 40°C, respectively. The antioxidant activity was also determined on the summer savory essential oil by four methods DPPH (0.50 mM TE/mL), FRAP (1.23 mM TE/mL), ABTS (0.54 mM TE/mL), and CUPRAC (2.91 mM TE/mL). The investigation of these parameters and properties were a prerequisite for further studies on the application of summer savory essential oil in various food products.